Development of a Pedagogical Model to Promote 21st Century Skills of Nursing Students

Abstract

          This research and development study was designed to develop a pedagogical model to promote 21^st century skills of nursing students and to examine the effectiveness of the model. The study was composed of three phases, including Phase 1: Situation analysisvia document review, in-depth interview of instructors and students, and assessment of 21^st century skills of the students; Phase 2: Design and development of a pedagogical model to promote 21st century skills of the nursing students by synthesizing the data from Phase 1 and literature review to identify the model framework. The initial model was implemented, evaluated, and improved for 3 rounds until the appropriate model was identified; 3: Implementation of the model and evaluating its effectiveness regarding 1) 21^st century skills of the students, 2) students’ satisfaction with the model, 3) instructors’ opinions towards the model, and 4) approval of the model by experts. The samples included nursing students and instructors of Boromarajonani College of Nursing, Chon Buri, and experts. A self-administered questionnaire and focus group interview guidelines were used for data collection.  

            The study yielded a model with 4 components, including 1) concepts and principles of  student-centered learning, 21^st century skills, continuous quality improvement, and empowerment; 2) supporting factors regarding policy; 3) processes of preparation, EREC IF (E: Engagement, R: Reflection, E: Experience, C: Culture and Language, I: Information Technology, F: Fun and flexibility), and supplementary processes of empowerment and knowledge management; and 4) evaluation. An evaluation of  model effectiveness revealed that EREC IF model could improve the 21^st century skills of the nursing students. The students were satisfied with the model and the instructors agreed that the model could be used to increase the 21^st century skills of the students.  All invited experts also approved the model. The model should be expanded for further implementation in nursing education in order to produce nursing graduates in response to the needs of society in the 21^st century.